Subaqueous mining

ABSTRACT

A subaqueous mining machine having an underwater suction head which has a suction pump mounted on it. The pump is driven by a high pressure air hose and a semibuoyant discharge hose is used to conduct the pumped slurry to a shore-based treatment means. The underwater head can be steerable by means of jet control pumps which are part of it.

United States Patent Inventor Bede A. Boyle Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia Appl. No. 816,200 Filed Apr. 15, 1969 Patented Feb. 16, 1971 Assignee Laurice Winifred Boyle Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia .a fractional part interest to each part interest Priority May 2, 1968 Australia 37225/68 SUBAQUEOUS MINING 7 Claims, 5 Drawing Figs.

U.S. Cl 299/9; 3 7/5 9 1m. C1. E2lc 45 00; E02f 3/8 8 Field of Search 299/8, 9;

37/5568; 178/6 (lnquired) [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,044,088 6/1936 Lord 37/62UX 2,711,598 6/1955 Craggs..... 37/62 3,248,812 5/1966 Gardner 37/55X OTHER REFERENCES Economics of Deep-sea Mining Mining Congress Journal, Sept. 1961 6pages Primary Examiner-Ernest R. Purser Att0rney-Stevens, Davis, Miller & Mosher This invention relates to a method and apparatus for subaqueous mining.

It is an object of the invention to enable particulate solid material such as ore-bearing sand to be extracted from underwater locations such as the seabed near beaches and the like, and to transport it together with a quantity of sea water to a site on land adjacent to the shore where said water may be separated from the solid material, so that the former may be returned to the sea and the latter retained for subsequent 1 treatment such as the recovery of minerals therefrom.

According to the invention, in one of its aspects, a subaqueous miner comprises, in combination, a suction head, a source of high-pressure air connected via a supply hose to a suction pump in said head, and a semibuoyant product hose connected between said head and shore-based treatment means adapted to separate liquid from particulate solid material which is transmitted in a slurry through said product hose from said head to said treatment means.

One particular embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which similar references indicate corresponding parts and in which: I I

FIG. 1 shows, in plan view, a subaqueous miner located at a typical site;

FIG. 2 shows, in side elevation, the apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 shows, in side elevation the suction head of the subaqueous miner connected to an associated tender barge;

F IG. 4 shows, in plan view, details of the suction head; and

FIG. 5 shows, in side elevation, the apparatus of FIG. 4.

Upon referring to the drawings it will be seen that said miner comprises a suction head 1 connected via the supply hose 2 to a compressor 3 located upon a tender barge 4 adapted to float in the vicinity of said miner, but spaced therefrom to an extent which permits the miner to range about upon the seabed. Preferably, a control cable which may be located within or without or alongside said supply hose, also carries electrical conductors from said barge to suitable illuminating means such as one or more electric lamps, disposed upon the head within the fairing 5 together with a surveillance television camera, the monitor receiver of which may be located upon said barge or at a treatment plant 6 to which the product hose 7 is extended. The head 1 is also provided with one or more jet control pumps such as 8 and 9, with respective discharge ports 10 and 11, adapted to render the head steerable so that a monitor may observe said'receiver screen and direct the head to a region upon the seabed which is clear of obstructions such as rocks and/or to ensure that the head scans the seabed efficiently for the purpose of extracting ore via said head and said product hose.

If desired, an additional television camera and one or more electric lamps may be located behind a window 12 to permit observation of the inlet duct 13 of the product pump 14.

It will be appreciated that because the head is a suction device, the reaction force exerted thereon by its air supply tends to bring the proboscis 15 of the head automatically against the working face of the solid particulate material to be extracted. The approximate position of the head is initially determined by the condition of the buoyancy tanks 16, 17, 18 and 19, which have discharge ports such as those shown at 20 and 21 for tanks 16 and 118 respectively. Furthermore, in view of the fact that the product pump 14 causes the water and particulate material to be drawn from the working face by suction, there is little turbulence generated in the sea water in the vicinity of the working face, and hence little turbidity which might otherwise spoil the view of either of said television cameras.

If desired, the head 1 may be subjected to an automatic scanning motion after a monitor has noted that the area of the seabed is generally acceptable for mining. Thus, the jet control pump El and 9 may be automatically operable according to a present plan so that said head may swing from side to side in a series of progressivelyl displaced arcs to an extent determined by the length of e supply hose 2 (and hence the control cable) between itself and the barge 4, and also as determined by the amount of slack present in the product hose 7. The barge 4 may, of course, be moved from one reference position to another depending upon the amount of said slack in the product hose 7, so that the miner may scan in a number of different locations to an extent permitted by its supply hose whilst the barge is anchored via the guys 22, 23, 24 and 25. Alternatively, the barge, instead of being anchored in such reference positions, may be put under way so as to compensate for any winds and/or currents which may move it away from a particular reference position.

Preferably, the product pump 14 in said head, which delivers slurry from the workingface to the product hose 7, is of the kind defined in our copending US. application Ser. No. 794,744 filed Jan. 28, 1969.

If desired, the compressor 3 aboard said tender barge 4 may be adapted to supply high-pressure air to the product pump 14 and jet control pumps 8 and 9 in such a manner that it does not exhaust back to atmospheric pressure but exhausts instead to air receivers adapted to give buoyancy to the barge, thus ensuring that the exhaust pressure is that due to the static head of immersion of the head. It has been found in tests leading to the present invention that this last-mentioned expedient enables the energy requirements of said compressor to be reduced by approximately 30 percent.

In a modification of the invention, the discharge region of the product hose 7 may be suitable hopper (not shown) located in a floating barge or ship in those cases where the miner is located so far off shore (for example, across shipping lanes or beyond the capacity of the product pump 14) that it is unable to discharge the slurry directly to the treatment plant 6. In this case a suitable auxiliary product hose and pumping system may be provided to extract the slurry from the lastmentioned barge at some subsequent time for delivery to said treatment plant after said barge has been manoeuvered closer to the shoreline 26.

Iclaim:

1. A subaqueous miner comprising, in combination, a suction head, a source of high-pressure air connected via a supply hose to operate a suction pump in said head, and a semibuoyant product hose connected between the pump discharge of said head and shore-based treatment means adapted to separate liquid from particulate solid material transmitted in a slurry through saidproduct hose from said head to said treatment means.

2. A subaqueous miner as claimed in claim 1, wherein said source of high pressure air is a mechanical compressor.

3. A subaqueous miner as claimed in claim 1, wherein said supply hose conveys electrical conductors from said pressure source to illumination means disposed within or upon said suction head.

4. A subaqueous miner as claimed in claim 1, wherein said suction head is steerable by means of jet control pumps incorporated within or attached to said head.

5. A subaqueous miner as claimed in'claim 4, wherein said jet control pumps are subject to control means which impart an automatic scanning motion to said head.

6. A subaqueous min'er as claimed in claim 1, wherein said head is equipped with one or more surveillance television cameras, the output of which is transmitted to a monitor adapted to influence said control means.

7. A subaqueous mining machine comprising:

a. a suction head;

b. a suction pump on said head;

c. a source of high pressure air connected via a supply hose to operate said pump;

d. a semibuoyant product hose connecting the discharge of said pump with a shore-based treatment means;

e. buoyancy means carried by said head to position the head with respect to the surface being mined. 

1. A subaqueous miner comprising, in combination, a suction head, a source of high-pressure air connected via a supply hose to operate a suction pump in said head, and a semibuoyant product hose connected between the pump discharge of said head and shorebased treatment means adapted to separate liquid from particulate solid material transmitted in a slurry through said product hose from said head to said treatment means.
 2. A subaqueous miner as claimed in claim 1, wherein said source of high pressure air is a mechanical compressor.
 3. A subaqueous miner as claimed in claim 1, wherein said supply hose conveys electrical conductors from said pressure source to illumination means disposed within or upon said suction head.
 4. A subaqueous miner as claimed in claim 1, wherein said suction head is steerable by means of jet control pumps incorporated within or attached to said head.
 5. A subaqueous miner as claimed in claim 4, wherein said jet control pumps are subject to control means which impart an automatic scanning motion to said head.
 6. A subaqueous miner as claimed in claim 1, wherein said head is equipped with one or more surveillance television cameras, the output of which is transmitted to a monitor adapted to influence said control means.
 7. A subaqueous mining machine comprising: a. a suction head; b. a suction pump on said head; c. a source of high pressure air connected via a supply hose to operate said pump; d. a semibuoyant product hose connecting the discharge of said pump with a shore-based treatment means; e. buoyancy means carried by said head to position the head with respect to the surface being mined. 